Narrative Tenses
Which tense do we use for completed actions or things that happened one after another in the past? Example: 'She waited for him for half an hour.'
Past Simple
Complete the sentence with 'used to' or 'would': 'She _____ go to bed at about midnight when she was a teenager.' (Both are possible — name them both!)
used to go / would go — both work for past habits.
What is the structure of the Past Perfect Simple? Give an affirmative example.
had + past participle. Example: 'Anna had finished her homework when I arrived.'
What word describes the period of life between childhood and adulthood, when you are a 'teen'?
Adolescence / Teens
Fill in the blank: 'It was raining, so I _____ (call) a taxi.' — Which tense goes in the blank and why?
called (Past Simple) — it's the shorter action that happened while the longer one (past continuous) was in progress.
TRUE or FALSE: We can use 'would' to talk about past states and situations. Example: 'We would live in Manchester before we moved here.'
FALSE — We do NOT use 'would' for past states. Only 'used to' works: 'We used to live in Manchester.'
Which past perfect tense do we use with STATE verbs (like 'be', 'have', 'know') with 'for' and 'since'?
Past Perfect Simple. E.g.: 'We'd known each other for about five years before we became friends.'
Look at these feelings: amused, thrilled, delighted. Are they POSITIVE or NEGATIVE? Name one more feeling that is also positive.
All POSITIVE. Other examples: excited, happy, proud, etc.
TRUE or FALSE: We normally use the past continuous to describe past states. Example: 'I was hating carrots when I was a child.'
FALSE — We use the past simple for past states: 'I hated carrots when I was a child.'
What is the correct negative form? 'He _____ (not / use to) read much as a child.'
didn't use to read — note: no final -d on 'use' in negatives and questions.
Choose the correct form: 'I _____ (live) in Madrid for two years when we first met.' — had lived / had been living
had been living (Past Perfect Continuous) — it's an action verb ('live') expressing ongoing duration up to a past moment.
Match: anxious / depressed / miserable — these feelings all have a _____ meaning. Give a real-life situation for one of them.
NEGATIVE meaning. Situations will vary — e.g., 'I felt anxious before my exam.'
Choose the correct option: 'By the time we arrived at the party, Grandad _____ (start) the barbecue already.' — started / had already started
had already started (Past Perfect Simple) — the action was completed before another past event.
Fill in with 'used to' or 'would': 'When I was younger, I _____ (play) a lot of computer games, but now I don't have time.'
used to play / would play — both correct for a repeated past action that no longer happens.
What is the key difference between Past Perfect Simple and Past Perfect Continuous?
Past Perfect Simple focuses on the result or completion of an action. Past Perfect Continuous focuses on the duration of an action that continued up to a point in the past.
Fill in the blanks with vocabulary from the unit: 'The film tells the story of a family. The parents try to be good _____ _____ for their children as they go from _____ to _____.'
role models; childhood to adulthood
Identify the tense and its function: 'While I was walking into town, I saw my friend.'
Past Continuous ('was walking') for the longer background action + Past Simple ('saw') for the shorter action that happened during it.
Explain the difference: 'I used to love animated films' vs. 'I would love animated films' — which one is incorrect and why?
'I would love animated films' is incorrect. 'Love' is a state verb — we use 'used to' (not 'would') for past states.
Correct this sentence and explain why: 'Many actors first were becoming famous as children before they got big roles.'
'Many actors had first become famous as children.' — We need Past Perfect Simple because the action (becoming famous) was completed before another past event (getting big roles).
Describe the difference between 'grown-up', 'mature', and 'middle-aged'. Use each in a sentence.
'Grown-up' = an adult person. 'Mature' = behaving sensibly like an adult. 'Middle-aged' = approximately 45–65 years old. (Sentences will vary.)